If you’ve lived in Colorado for more than five minutes, you know that the Denver Broncos are basically a religion. But for everyone else, or maybe just the younger fans who didn't live through the 90s, the history of this team can feel like a rollercoaster. People always ask when did Broncos win the Super Bowl, usually because they remember the legendary names like John Elway or Peyton Manning, but the specific dates tend to get blurry.
Denver has been to the big dance eight times. They’ve won three.
That’s a 3-5 record on the biggest stage in sports. Honestly, it’s a history defined by extreme highs and some pretty brutal lows—like, "don’t mention the 49ers score in a Denver bar" kind of lows. But those three victories? They changed the city forever.
The Breakthrough: Super Bowl XXXII (January 25, 1998)
Before 1998, the Broncos were the team that just couldn't finish. They had been to four Super Bowls and lost every single one, often in embarrassing fashion. The narrative was that John Elway, one of the greatest to ever throw a football, would retire without a ring.
Then came the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers were 11-point favorites. Nobody—and I mean nobody outside of Colorado—expected Denver to win. But Terrell Davis, despite literally having a migraine that partially blinded him during the game, ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns.
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The most iconic moment wasn't a pass. It was "The Helicopter." Elway, 37 years old and desperate for a win, scrambled for a first down and got hit so hard by Packers defenders that his body spun 360 degrees in the air. He landed, got the first down, and Denver eventually won 31-24.
The late Pat Bowlen, the team’s owner, handed the trophy to his quarterback and famously shouted, "This one's for John!"
The Repeat: Super Bowl XXXIII (January 31, 1999)
Winning once is hard. Doing it twice in a row is nearly impossible in the modern NFL. But the 1998-1999 Broncos were a juggernaut. They started the season 13-0 and looked like they were playing a different sport than everyone else.
This time, the victim was the Atlanta Falcons.
It was a weird game for subplots. The Falcons were coached by Dan Reeves, the guy who had coached (and occasionally clashed with) Elway for years in Denver. But on the field, it wasn't even close. Elway threw an 80-yard bomb to Rod Smith and Denver cruised to a 34-19 win.
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Elway won the MVP of the game, walked off the field, and never played another down of professional football. Talk about a mic drop.
The No-Fly Zone: Super Bowl 50 (February 7, 2016)
Fast forward 17 years. The vibe was totally different. In the late 90s, the offense carried the team. In 2015, the defense was the main character.
The "No-Fly Zone" defense, led by Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, was terrifying. They weren't just winning games; they were bullying people. This was also Peyton Manning’s final season, and frankly, he wasn't the "Sheriff" of old. He was struggling with injuries and a declining arm, but he was smart enough to manage the game while the defense went to work.
Facing the Carolina Panthers and a red-hot Cam Newton, the Broncos defense was relentless. Von Miller forced two fumbles that basically decided the game.
- Final Score: Broncos 24, Panthers 10.
- Von Miller's Stats: 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles.
- The Result: John Elway, now the GM, returned the favor from years prior by holding the trophy and shouting, "This one's for Pat!"
Why Denver’s Super Bowl History is So Unique
It’s worth noting that Denver’s path to these wins wasn't a straight line. They have five losses, and some of them were record-breakingly bad. They lost 55-10 to the 49ers in 1990 and 43-8 to the Seahawks in 2014.
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Most franchises would have crumbled after that 2014 blowout. But the Broncos did something rare: they completely changed their identity. They went from a record-breaking offense that got shut down by Seattle to a record-breaking defense that shut down Carolina two years later.
If you're looking for the quick "cheat sheet" on their wins, here it is:
- 1997 Season (Played in 1998): Beat Green Bay 31-24. (MVP: Terrell Davis)
- 1998 Season (Played in 1999): Beat Atlanta 34-19. (MVP: John Elway)
- 2015 Season (Played in 2016): Beat Carolina 24-10. (MVP: Von Miller)
What to Keep an Eye On in 2026
As we look at the current state of the team, things are shifting again. It's January 2026, and the Broncos are actually back in the conversation after a long drought. Sean Payton has the team playing disciplined football, and while the roster is light-years away from the 1998 squad, there's a similar "grind-it-out" mentality returning to Mile High.
The big question for fans today is whether the team can find that elusive franchise quarterback to mirror the Elway and Manning eras. Bo Nix has shown flashes of being that guy, especially with the recent overtime win against Buffalo that put Denver just one win away from another Super Bowl appearance.
If you're a fan or a collector, now is the time to brush up on this history. The value of memorabilia from the '97 and '98 seasons has stayed remarkably high, especially signed items from Terrell Davis and Steve Atwater. If Denver makes it back to the big game this year, expect a massive surge in interest for those "legacy" pieces.
To really understand the Broncos, you have to appreciate the scars from the losses as much as the jewelry from the wins. It’s a franchise that swings for the fences. They don't always hit, but when they do, the whole city of Denver feels it.
The best way to stay ahead of the curve is to watch the defensive schemes Sean Payton is currently running; they're starting to mirror the aggressive "attack" style that won them Super Bowl 50. If you’re betting or just following along, look for turnovers—that’s always been the common thread in Denver’s championship seasons.